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“No. It only allows for ‘minor expenses.’ I doubt if a sextant counts as that.”
The brothers walked up the street, never noticing that the kender was missing until he rejoined them.
“Raistlin,” Earwig said, tugging at the mage’s robes.
A look of anger flared in the strange, black pupils. “Don’t you dare touch me! Ever!” The mage shoved the kender back.
“But I’ve got something for you!” Earwig said. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the sextant.
The mage brought his hand up over his mouth quickly, putting his fingers over his twitching lips.
“Earwig. Where did you get that?” Caramon tried to sound severe.
“From the shop, of course,” the kender said, nodding his head. “The owner said you could have it if you promised to return it when you were done.”
“Really? And the owner actually said this to you?”
“Well, he didn’t actually say it, but I’m sure he would have if he had been in the room.”
Raistlin averted his head. His thin shoulders shook, and Caramon could have sworn that his brother was laughing.
“Uh, Raist, don’t you think we should return it?”
“What, and spoil Earwigs gift? Never!” Raistlin said. He took the tool from the kender’s hand and tucked it under his flowing robes to hide it from sight. “Thank you, Earwig,” he said solemnly. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
“You’re welcome,” the kender said, beaming, and looking much more like the old Earwig.
The travelers found another carriage. Raistlin directed the driver to take them to Westgate Street. By the time they reached their destination, the day was rapidly fading. The last portcullis was the same as the others, metal untouched by the elements, with the same indecipher-
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able network of plates and shields on the bars.
Next, they went to another hyava house, ordered the same drinks and food that they had ordered at the last one, with exactly the same results. Earwig tried to take Caramon’s scone, and when the fighter slapped the kender’s hand, the pastry broke and fell to the ground, only to be eaten by several cats sitting in front of the shop.
“I have to get my own table next time, or I’ll starve,” the warrior muttered.
Caramon glanced into a shop across the way— a store displaying a variety of marvelous swords— and saw a dark-skinned man staring out the window, directly at them.
Boldly meeting the gaze of the mysterious watcher, Caramon shivered with cold, though the sun shone gently on his shoulders. There was something very strange about the man. Strange, yet familiar.
The fighter turned to his brother, who was attempting to feed one of the cats a piece of his own scone. Caramon had never seen Raistlin show any affection toward animals. One of the cats nibbled at the offered crumb and bumped up against the golden, outstretched hand, but soon backed away.
The mage sighed, leaning on the Staff of Magius, gripping it tightly, an expression of enraged bafflement on his face.
Caramon hated to disrupt his brother’s thoughts, but this was important. “Raistlin, we’re being watched.”
The mage barely glanced at him. “The man across the street in the weapons shop? Yes, I know. He’s been there the past ten minutes.”
Caramon half-rose. “You knew? He might be the one who tried to kill us — ”
“Sit, brother. Assassins do not watch their prey so openly. This man wants us to know that he is watching us.”
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Caramon, confused, reluctantly sat back down.
Earwig turned to look. “Hey! That’s the man who wanted my necklace!”
“What? When?” Raistlin pounced on the startled ken-der.
“Wh-why . . .” Earwig stammered, “it was … let me see … I remember. Back at the Black Cat Inn.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me then?” Raistlin practically frothed at the mouth. He began to cough, clutching at his chest.
“Hey, Raist. Calm down,” said Caramon.
“Gosh, I forgot, I guess,” Earwig said, shrugging. “It wasn’t anything important. He just asked me where I got the necklace, and I said it had been in my family. He seemed to want it pretty badly, and I didn’t need it so I tried to give it to him, but it wouldn’t come off. Then a man who was with him said something about ‘dragging out my guts,’ but they decided not to.” Earwig sounded slightly disappointed. “Then they left.